CCC1

	COTTAGE School of MUSIC - Senior

Workshops
			Contact us
		Enrolments 2011




	COTTAGE CHILDREN'S CHOIR

					Cottage Children's Choir - Canning Vale, Heathridge, Greenwood, Karrinyup, Floreat, Mosman Park and Palmyra Cottage Children's Choir encourages children to have fun through learning and to realise the joy that can be experienced through teamwork, co-operation and achievement. The Perth-based choir provides the opportunity for talented students from different schools to meet and to work together to make good art. Choral singing is an ideal extra-curricular activity which fosters skills of communication, self-discipline and a sense of community. The choir operates at a number of different levels, Junior, Intermediate and Senior, and children progress from one level to the next when they have developed the appropriate level of skills and experience. The choir is under the direction of Micheál McCarthy. Cottage Children's Choir provides the opportunity for children to interact socially and to develop their musicianship and ensemble skills. These skills, which are developed through a range of innovative activities and games, are essential to performance in any arena. Thus, training in these areas prepares children for future involvement in other forms of performing art, public speaking and other modes of public presentation. The choir and musicianship programs also provide a great way for children and their families to form life-long friendships.


	Level 1: Cantilena For young children who love to sing, the Junior choir aims to cultivate good vocal habits and to introduce the children to music reading. Literature is chosen that helps to build the core skills required for high-level choral singing. These children are introduced to basic level performance & communication skills; all children perform in the choir's concerts.


	Level 2: Cantabile Children in the Intermediate choir need to display good intonation, an understanding of phrasing and dynamics, clear diction, independent part-singing ability, sensitivity to interpretation, voice production, and basic written music literacy skills. The children also develope a sense of commitment to the group, freedom and self-discipline. At this level the choir aims to further develop the child’s musical, reading and vocal skills.

	Level 3: Cantaré This more advanced group is usually made up of more experienced choristers who display a high level of skill in all of the areas previously mentioned. In addition, these Senior choir members are encouraged to further develop their performance skills, to communicate ideas effectively and to develop a deeper understanding of the music being performed. Naturally, the level of musical challenge increases throughout the child’s tenure in the choir. Though the quality of repertoire chosen is constant the complexity increases as children progress from one level to the next.

Performances:

Cottage Children's Choir has had the honour of being invited to perform at high profile events, including the 'Centenary of the Western Australian Parliament' Celebration, 2004. On this special occasion the choir was invited to perform for past and present members of the Upper and Lower houses of Parliament. Cottage Children's Choir was invited back the following year to perform for the W.A. Parliamentary Proms, once again performing from the balconies of the Upper and Lower houses of Parliament. The children have also performed as part of various theatrical productions, including the Total Theatre productions 'Labyrinth' and 'Il Milione - The Travels of Marco Polo'. The choir was this year invited to provide the solo and chorus fairy roles for the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) production of Benjamin Britten's opera, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

	Cottage Children's Choir promotes excellence in musicianship, quality vocal production, teamwork, sensitivity to others and the development of a broad understanding of peoples and cultures. A systematic approach to vocal training leads children to a greater understanding of vocal technique, breathing and tone production. While some of the choir’s repertoire changes from year to year certain core repertoire is retained to allow choir members to revisit the same music from another perspective and with a greater appreciation. The choir thus encourages children to grow with the music and to learn that over time a piece of music can take on a different meaning. The choir has performed regularly to raise money for charities, including the Lions club and the WA Council of Churches. The money raised is used to fund special projects, such as the African Food Bowl appeal, or for the provision of medical equipment/aids for children with profound disabilities.

			Cottage Children's Choir Tel: +61 8 9312 2200 info@cottageschoolofmusic.com

	"If one were to attempt to express the essence of this education in one word, it could only be - singing. .... Our age of mechanization leads along a road ending with man himself as a machine; only the spirit of singing can save us from this fate. .... It is our firm conviction that mankind will live the happier when it has learnt to live with music more worthily. Whoever works to promote this end, in one way or another, has not lived in vain." (Zoltán Kodály, 1966)